Device for the production of rods and tubes from glass, plastic or like substance



April 1, 1952 w, SCHULLER 2,591,304

DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF RODS AND TUBES FROM GLASS, PLASTIC OR LIKESUBSTANCE Filed April 19, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 3| Tu l w. SCHULLER Aprll1, 1952 2,591,304

DEVICE FOR THE ODUCTION OF RODS AND TUBES FROM GLASS, PLASTIC OR LIKESUBSTANCE Filed April 19, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET' 2' Patented Apr. 1, i952DEVICE .FOR THE PRODUCTIQN OF RODS AND. TUBES. FROM GLASS, PLASTIC RLIKE SUBSTANCE Werner Schuller; .Banstead, England Application April 19,1949, ,SerialNo. 88,474 In Great Britain April 19, 1948 Rods or tubesmade from glass or like substance, have hitherto been drawn out of arevolving drawing potin a vertical direction, which compared withthemethod of drawing-out in a horizontaldirection has the advantage thatin its plastic condition, the ruler tube cannot bend under its ownweight. A disadvantage of this process, however, is that such a plantoperating in a vertical direction requires a'lot of space, being eitherin the form of a tower or requiring several stories, either upwards ordownwards. A further disadvantage lies in the difficulty experienced incutting off determined lengths of rods or tubes from the uncut lengththat is in continuous movement at a fairly high speed, the individualrod or tube lengths having to be seized andafter cutting-carefully laidin a horizontal position. This is a complicated method. If sheared-offduring operation, the entire glass column collapses, and much waste iscaused, as the work has to be interrupted for a considerable time (fromA. hour to 1 hour or more) until the process can be correctlyre-started.

These disadvantages are overcome by the apparatus according to theinvention, in which the rod or tubing is diverted in any desireddirection, advantageously at right angles by mechanical means whilestill in a plastic condition and after being drawn a short distance inthe vertical direction, into another direction, for example into thehorizontal plane while being continually drawn, and is cut intodetermined lengths and stacked.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection through apparatus for the drawing of glass tuba Figure 2 is across-section on an enlarged scale through a part of the apparatus onthe line 11-11 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through a modifiedconstruction of apparatus for use in the manufacture of glass rods.

In the drawings, referring to Figure 1, I is a furnace for melting theglass, 2 a feeder channel from the furnace, and 3 a plug controlling theflow of the glass; 4 is a rotating drawing pot, which is kept incontinuous rotation by means of a shaft 5, gearing 6 and toothed flangeI. 8 and 9 are pipes to deliver air under controlled pressure to theforming position of the glass tubing during the drawing process. a isthe glass in fluid condition in the furnace and drawing pot. It is 3Claims. (01; 49-17;!)

for the purposeessential for-the glass in the furnace and drawing pot tobe maintained at a constant temperature which is determined inaccordance with the quality of the glass and the required fluidity. l 0is a protective cylinder around the drawing position providingprotection against the burners or other heating medium. The temperatureoutside the cylinder Ill may be between 750 C. and 1100 C., while insidethe cylinder the temperature may fall to 400 C. at the position at whichit leaves the cylinder. The cylinder I0 is shown as an immersioncylinder with the lower edge below thelevel of the fluid glass. Itiskept rotating at the-same speed as the drawing pot by gearing H andthe inter-engaging toothed flange l2. I3 is a cooling means with aninlet 14 and outlet 15 for a coolant such for example as water.

At a position indicated by b in the drawing, glass tubing 0 is drawnupwardly and the tubing formed by a jet of air directed against thelower end face of the tubing as it rises in the direction of the arrowA. The process is the same for the drawing of rods except that no airjet is required.

After drawing a short distance in the vertical direction, the rod ortubing is diverted by mechanical means while still plastic into thehorizontal direction. The distance at which the rod or tubing isdiverted above the furnace may vary in accordance with the drawing speedand the effect of the cooling means. It may be from 3 to 6' above thefurnace level, or more or less. For

this purpose a diverting roller I6 is provided (which may be a profiledroller as shown in Figure 2), which is suitably cooled, for example, byrotating in a cooling water bath H, the walls also serving to preventthe glass from sticking to the diverting roller. The roller [6 ispreferably provided to work in conjunction with a guide roller l8 whichapplies a pressure under the influence of a spring I9. The distance ofthe diverting roller [6 from the drawing pot 4 is chosen so that thetubing 0 is still in a plastic condition at this stage, and can,therefore, be diverted to some other direction, but the tubing is hardenough to prevent it being squeezed in the space between the profileWalls of the diverting roller l8. Beyond the diverting roller Hi thereis provided a cooling device 20 where the tubing 0 is completelycoagulated or solidified by means of any suitable cooling agent. 2| is acontinuously operating drawing appliance and conveyor system withendless bands 22 and frictional and weight gripping members 23. 24 aresupporting rollers for the solid tubing. Supported on the conveyor,predetermined lengths of tubing 11, for example, of 1.50 m. or more orless in length, are cut by any convenient type of cutting means 25, andare deposited to lie horizontally in a collecting container 26.

The modification illustrated in Figure 3 corresponds substantialiyinform and operation to that illustrated in Figure 1, except that thelength of rod or the tubing is drawn from below the drawing pot. 21 is acooling appliance.

Apparatus according to the invention can easil be set up in a furnacehouse'of normal height;

it is easy for the operator to'su'pervise a number of apparatus. If therod or tubing breaks, there is little waste, and the drawing :operationcan very quickly be re-started. Owing toythehoria zontal position of therods or tubing at the end' of the drawing operation, it is possible todo'the'cut I ting without providing any additional means; as i in knownprocesses for removing the cut lengths .of glass from averticalpositionand stacking .them horizontally and substantially without waste. It isthus also possible tooperate-at high speeds with consequently greateroutput.

I claim: i

1. Apparatus 'for the continuous manufacture of elongated cylindricalproducts of glass and the like, comprising a glass furnace, 'a'rotaryglass drawing pot having a vertical axis of rotation for receivingmolten glass from said glass furnace, means for drawing an elongatedproductfrom said pot, said means comprising a roller mounted on ahorizontal axis spaced vertically from said pot and positioned 'withitsperiphery tangent to for exerting a drawing force. 2. Apparatus setforth in claim, 1..wherein said said vertical axis, and meanshorizontally spaced from said roller for exerting a drawing force onsaid elongated product, said last named means being so positioned thatsaid elongated product is bent about the periphery of said roller as itpasses from said pot to said last named means drawing pot is adownwardly drawing pot and said roller is positioned beneath saiddrawing pot.

, I 3. Apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said '7 drawing pot is anupwardly drawing pot and said roller is positioned above said drawingpot.

' WERNER SCHULLER.

REFERENCES CITED followingreferences are of record in the file of thispatent: UNITED STATES PATENTS v 660,433 France 'F'eb. 19, 1929

